Water Marks Removal?

[Matt N]

Hi, I'm in the middle of cleaning my empty tank, I wanted to really polish it up, make it look new again, ready for some new equipment etc.

I think I've done a good job so far on the inside of the tank, removing the algae and grim. Now my problem is the water marks/limescale buildup around the back of the tank, it just won't budge!

Any idea's on what I can use to effectively remove it?

Matt.

[Zer0]

Soak it in vinegar. Gets everything off, every time.

[Matt N]

Thanks, I'll give it a go tomorrow. Is it safe to also put vinegar in the tank? I might try some out on the seals, clean them up.

Matt.

[Zer0]

Well.. when the tank is empty.. yeah. Clearly not if theres fish or things living int there.. lol. But yes, just to clean it when its empty is ok. Just make sure you rinse the tank after.

[mfdrookie516]

i put a gallon of vinegar in my 30 after a strage outbreak of dead fish... cleaned it up well. i rinsed it out with a water hose, it looked brand new. then of course i scrubbed it, rinsed with hot water, and let it bake in the sun all day

[spoonman]

For the real tough parts vinegar and razor blades. Just keep the razor blades away from the silicone seals.

[Matt N]

Hi, sorry for the late reply, Virgin Media has been down for a couple of days.

The vinegar done it nicely, I poured a litre of vinegar in the empty tank, and cleaned inside and out. I've got the tank filled with water now to check for leaks, all seems good at the moment.

Matt.

[Zer0]

Glad it all worked out for you. I had the same problem when i first bought my tank, because it had a lot of tape residue on it. Didn't think it was good for the fish, nor did it look any good under water. So i used vinegar and razor blades, and everything disappeared. Remember one thing tho, you don't want any left over vinegar in the tank, so make sure you thoroughly rinse it out and get it all out.

[Matt N]

Just drained the vinegar/water today, I'll start the rinsing tomorrow. Then on to my next problem, which filter?

Matt.

[MichaelsLilGray]

marineland biowheel ftmfw =D

[Floyd R Turbo]

I use Marineland C-360 for my 55 planted community, I use Purigen instead of carbon. Easy to clean and maintain. Love it!

[spoonman]

Name brand HOB rated for 60 gallons or more. Also think about the cost of the replacement media. That is something to take into account, the recurring cost of replacing the media. Also an HOB with 2 media slots makes it easy to replace them a couple weeks apart so that you dont completely wipe out all the good bacteria in the media at once. Just things to consider.

[Matt N]

I brought the RENA SmartHeater 150W last week, and got the connection kit thrown in with it. I've always used Fluval internal filters, but I'm going for external this time.

Does anyone have any opinions on Fluval's 05 Series, or RENA's XP series? I was looking at the Fluval 405 / RENA XP4, which would be over-kill for my tank, but the lower model's from them both are only a couple of pounds apart.

The Marineland HOB looks good, although I'm limited by the lighting canopy on my tank. I'll keep an eye out for the C-360, they seem pretty rare in the UK.

Matt.

[spoonman]

i have 2 rena xp3's and absolutely love them. Easy to set up and easy maintenance. Here is a video to help you make a decision.

Installing Rena Canister Filter

[Matt N]

Nice informative video. I watched another one yesterday, which was cleaning the RENA XP. Seems pretty mess free during cleaning, just power off, and lift the clamp, which is alot easier than cleaning my old internal filters.

Also, if you don't mind, do you have the measurements for the XP3 canister? I've looked on a few sites and dimensions seem to vary. My cabinet, where the canister would sit is pretty small, in relation to the tank.
It would be terrible if I went for the XP3 or XP4 and it wouldn't fit in the cupboard.

Matt.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Marineland's product is brand new. Here's a flash program that covers it

Marineland Multi-Stage Canister Filter

A lot of people stand by Rena, my trusted LFS told me "it's the best" but w/r to the C-series, he had no experience - it's that new of a product apparently.

I did quite a bit of research while writing this thread

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...se-113632.html

and after everything ended up choosing the C-360. I have no complaints. I would say based on experience I will buy another. Basically the advantage to me is the 'no bypass' design. It just can't happen. Other than that, as long as you match up the flow rates of the units to compare apples to apples, it's just pricing and personal preference. You can't go too wrong with a canister.

[MichaelsLilGray]

i will never use a XP3 after watching that video LOL.. i have a fruval 305.. so much easier to use... and it has check valves on each hose to help you kill the water without allowing it to flow all over the place... look into the fruval before teh xp3.....ew.

[mfdrookie516]

yeah, i definately wont use anything but fluvals.. i have a 305 and 405 on my 150g and they are so easy to set up, take apart, etc... they have a valve to shut off the water, and then a lever to snap it in place. when i need to remove the canister, i just shut the valve, undo the lever, and both hoses come off together... its so simple. But ive heard good things about the xp 3's as well, spoonman swears by them lol

[Floyd R Turbo]

Check valves essentially work the same on all canister filters I've looked at. I took them out of the boxes and messed with them all. The Marineland check valve/block has one main valve to shut off both in/out and a second twisting locking lever. I've never had a problem. I don't remember how Rena's works, I didn't watch the whole video, but I think it is a combination lock/shutoff. If I'm wrong please correct me.

What I didn't like about Fluval was the vertical pad on one side and the tray adjacent to it. It seemed like a nonsensical design, but I'm sure it works fine, like I said it all comes down to preference.

[Matt N]

I've always used Fluval's, and always been happy with them, but I've just watched a video on YouTube, and it looks like the Fluval piping won't be any good with my RENA Heater. Unless I leave the heater seperate, and not connected to a filter, but that's defeating the reason why I bought it. I can feel a headache coming on.

I think I'll go down my local fish store and have a look at the RENA's and Fuval's out of the box.

Matt.